"We would love to see the rightful winner get their prize money," Carolyn Becker, spokesperson for the California Lottery, said Wednesday. But if Saturday's deadline for claiming the prize passes, "my hypothesis and hope is that the winner never knows."
According to Becker, this type of occurrence is incredibly rare. Mega Millions is a multistate game, and California alone has over 23,000 retailers who sell tickets. "When this happened last year," she said, "my mind was like that little emoji where the brain is exploding."
If the golden ticket holder does not come forward by Saturday, however, there is a silver lining. The money will go to California schools. Not all of it, though. The California Lottery will refund money back to the states that contributed to the pot, with about $80.5 million going back to other states.
Becker explained that over the last five to ten years, California has averaged about $40 million to $50 million a year in unclaimed lottery winnings, showcasing how many people either lose or simply forget about their winning tickets.
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